Portable ostomy collection appliances are widely used for the collection of fecal matter from patients who have undergone surgical procedures such as ileostomy or colostomy operations. A particularly useful type of collection appliance is formed with at least two opposed flexible flat walls joined together, e.g. by heat sealing, to define a fecal receiving chamber. Such appliances contain, of course, an opening in the wall facing the patient for receiving the stoma and means to secure the appliance to the body of the patient for portable use. The opposed flexible walls may be left unjoined to define a drainage opening at the bottom of the appliance, thus permitting the patient to drain the appliance without removing it from his body and thereby to use the same bag many times over before replacement. Drainage is faciliated by reducing the width of the appliance at its lower portion to form a tail spout through which drainage readily occurs.
The drainage opening of an ostomy collection appliance, with or without a tail spout, must be capable of being readily opened and closed by the patient for and after drainage and must of course remain securely closed when the appliance is not being drained. A variety of drainage opening closure means for ostomy collection appliances are known to the art. Certain drainage opening closure means such as rubber bands, metal clips, wires, etc., are not securely affixed to the collection appliance and thus may be misplaced by the patient. Certain other types of drainage opening closure means securely affixed to the appliance are known to the art, but generally possess one or more of the disadvantages of being heavy, bulky, undependable, or difficult or inconvenient to use.
It is an object of this invention to provide a lightweight non-bulky ostomy collection appliance drainage opening closure means which is securely affixed to the appliance, can be used by the patient with maximum ease and comfort, and provides a highly dependable seal against accidental drainage or leakage. Other objects will be apparent from a reading of the specification and claims herein.